The Notebook at School (Part 2 of 2)

I was sitting at home on the couch in our family room in the basement. Gilligan’s Island was on. The phone rang and I answered the basement extension. A lady asked for my mother. I yelled up the stairs, “Mom, telephone.”
When Mom picked up the phone I finally realized who’s voice it was on the other end. It was Miss Jones! A few minutes later, Mom came down the stairs. “Billy, were you supposed to speak with Miss Jones after school today?”
“Yes.” I knew I was in real trouble now.
“That was Miss Jones on the phone. She has asked that I take you back over there right now. She wants to talk to both of us.”
Mom didn’t say anything to me as we walked over to school. I was a little tense, not knowing what was going to happen next. Soon we arrived at the school. The doors were still unlocked and we walked right in. We walked to my class room. Miss Jones was waiting for us.
“Come in, Billy, Mrs. Loveless. Thank you for coming over.”
She had us sit down and then she went into her carefully planned speech. “I am a little concerned about Billy’s grades this term. From the results of his tests, I can see he is either hurrying through his home work assignments or not doing them at all. Is this true Billy?”
I hung my head in pretended shame. “Yes.” Actually I didn’t care, really. I was getting tired of the same old assignments. I didn’t consider myself a bad student. I loved to learn. I stayed in from recess and read the encyclopedia, I wrote little stories, I was even starting to write a book. Couldn’t anybody appreciate that? Somehow that didn’t matter. I wasn’t doing the work I was supposed to do. Mom just said, “What do you propose to do, Miss Jones?”
“I think if you bought him a little notebook -- and each day I wrote in the notebook what his homework assignments are, and then if you will check them off and sign them as he does them -- that will work.”
For the next few weeks I carried the notebook to school everyday. I had to have Miss Jones write in it at the end of school, do the homework outlined in the notebook, and have my mom sign it. I enjoyed the special attention from my teacher and my mom. At the end of the term, my grades had improved. I wasn’t any smarter. I just did my assignments.

Coming Tomorrow: Reports For Extra Credit